This invention is related to processes for the preparation of 3-(substituted)-2-oxazolidinones, particularly 3-(2-hydroxyethyl)-2-oxazolidinone.
The 2-oxazolidinone compounds are known compounds and are useful for various purposes such as precursors for surfactants. Various methods for their production are known. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,437,390 teaches that 2-oxazolidinones may be prepared by reacting a .beta.-amino alcohol and an alkyl carbonate under anhydrous conditions and typically in the presence of a catalyst. Another approach is taught in U.S. Pat. No. 3,168,525 where it is disclosed to prepare certain 2-oxazolidinones by acylating a 1-halo-2-carbamyl-oxy-3-substituted propane and cyclizing the resulting propane. U.S. Pat. No. 4,500,717 teaches that 2-oxazolidinones may be prepared by the reaction of a 2-hydroxyalkyl carbonate with an alkylene oxide or alkylene carbonate in the presence of a catalyst. U.S. Pat. No. 4,209,628 teaches that 2-oxazolidinones are prepared by the reaction of carbon dioxide with an aziridine compound preferably in the presence of a Lewis acid catalyst.
None of these processes for the preparation of oxazolidinones are without problems. The existing problems include low yields; the need to continuously distill by-products from the reaction mixture to force the reaction to completion: the production of a low purity product requiring purification steps and the requirement for the use of catalysts. Thus, what is needed is a simple, efficient process for the preparation of 2-oxazolidinones that results in a high yield of product having high purity.